{\rtf1\ansi \deflang1033\deff0{\fonttbl
{\f0\froman \fcharset0 \fprq2 Times New Roman;}{\f1\froman \fcharset0 \fprq2 Palatino Linotype;}}{\colortbl;\red0\green0\blue0;}
{\stylesheet{\fs20 \snext0 Normal;}
}\notabind\margl1440\margr1440\hyphhotz936\ftnbj\fet2\ftnrstpg\aftnnar\viewkind1\subfontbysize \sectd \sbknone\headery1440\footery1440\endnhere\endnhere 
{\*\pnseclvl1\pndec\pnstart1{\pntxta .}}
{\*\pnseclvl2\pnlcltr\pnstart1{\pntxta .}}
{\*\pnseclvl3\pnlcrm\pnstart1{\pntxta .}}
{\*\pnseclvl4\pndec\pnstart1{\pntxtb (}{\pntxta )}}
{\*\pnseclvl5\pnlcltr\pnstart1{\pntxtb (}{\pntxta )}}
{\*\pnseclvl6\pnlcrm\pnstart1{\pntxtb (}{\pntxta )}}
{\*\pnseclvl7\pndec\pnstart1{\pntxta .}}
{\*\pnseclvl8\pnlcltr\pnstart1{\pntxta .}}
{\*\pnseclvl9\pnlcrm\pnstart1}

{\field{\*\fldinst {\lang4105  SEQ CHAPTER \\h \\r 1}}{\fldrslt }}\pard \fs22\tx0\tx504\tx1008\tx1512\tx2016\tx2520\tx3024\tx3528\tx4032\tx4536\tx5040\tx5544\tx6048\tx6552\tx7056\tx7560\tx8064\tx8568\tx9072\tx9576\tx10080\tx10584
{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 The Tell-Tale Heart.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22     TRUE! - nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 senses - not destroyed - not dulled them. Above all was the sense of\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 how healthily - how calmly I can tell you the whole story.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture - a\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 blood ran cold; and so by degrees - very gradually - I made up my\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 forever.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded -\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 with what caution - with what foresight - with what dissimulation I\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 the latch of his door and opened it - oh so gently! And then, when I\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern,\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 all closed, closed, that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in!\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 I moved it slowly - very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha!\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 would a madman have been so wise as this, And then, when my head was\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so cautiously -\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 cautiously (for the hinges creaked) - I undid it just so much that a\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 long nights - every night just at midnight - but I found the eye\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning,\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 inquiring how he has passed the night. So you see he would have been\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 door. A watch's minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers - of my\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 if startled. Now you may think that I drew back - but no. His room\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 close fastened, through fear of robbers,) and so I knew that he could\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 not see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily,\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 steadily.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed,\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 crying out - "Who's there?"\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 still sitting up in the bed listening; - just as I have done, night\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief - oh, no! - it\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 himself - "It is nothing but the wind in the chimney - it is only a\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 mouse crossing the floor," or "It is merely a cricket which has made\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 a single chirp." Yes, he had been trying to comfort himself with\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 these suppositions: but he had found all in vain. All in vain;\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel -\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 although he neither saw nor heard - to feel the presence of my head\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 within the room.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 When I had waited a long time, very patiently, without hearing him\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 lie down, I resolved to open a little - a very, very little crevice\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 in the lantern. So I opened it - you cannot imagine how stealthily,\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 stealthily - until, at length a simple dim ray, like the thread of\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 the spider, shot from out the crevice and fell full upon the vulture\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 eye.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 It was open - wide, wide open - and I grew furious as I gazed upon\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 it. I saw it with perfect distinctness - all a dull blue, with a\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 could see nothing else of the old man's face or person: for I had\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 over-acuteness of the sense? - now, I say, there came to my ears a\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 stimulates the soldier into courage.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 the lantern motionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 upon the eve. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 old man's terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say,\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 louder every moment! - do you mark me well I have told you that I am\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me - the\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 sound would be heard by a neighbour! The old man's hour had come!\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 He shrieked once - once only. In an instant I dragged him to the\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled gaily, to\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes, the heart beat on\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 heard through the wall. At length it ceased. The old man was dead. I\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 removed the bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 no more.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence. First of all I\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 deposited all between the scantlings. I then replaced the boards so\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye - not even his - could have\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 detected any thing wrong. There was nothing to wash out - no stain of\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 any kind - no blood-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. A\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 tub had caught all - ha! ha!\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 When I had made an end of these labors, it was four o'clock - still\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 dark as midnight. As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 at the street door. I went down to open it with a light heart, - for\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 what had I now to fear? There entered three men, who introduced\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police. A shriek\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 had been heard by a neighbour during the night; suspicion of foul\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 play had been aroused; information had been lodged at the police\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 office, and they (the officers) had been deputed to search the\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 premises.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 I smiled, - for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome. The\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 shriek, I said, was my own in a dream. The old man, I mentioned, was\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 absent in the country. I took my visitors all over the house. I bade\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 them search - search well. I led them, at length, to his chamber. I\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 showed them his treasures, secure, undisturbed. In the enthusiasm of\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 my confidence, I brought chairs into the room, and desired them here\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in the wild audacity of\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 which reposed the corpse of the victim.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced them. I was\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 singularly at ease. They sat, and while I answered cheerily, they\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 ears: but still they sat and still chatted. The ringing became more\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 distinct: - It continued and became more distinct: I talked more\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 definiteness - until, at length, I found that the noise was not\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 within my ears.\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 No doubt I now grew }{\plain \fs22 \i\f1\fs22 very}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22  pale; - but I talked more fluently, and\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased - and what could I\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 do? It was a low, dull, quick sound - much such a sound as a watch\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath - and yet the\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 officers heard it not. I talked more quickly - more vehemently; but\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 men - but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 foamed - I raved - I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 and continually increased. It grew louder - louder - louder! And\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 heard not? Almighty God! - no, no! They heard! - they suspected! -\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 they knew! - they were making a mockery of my horror!-this I thought,\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 now - again! - hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 "Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! - tear\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 up the planks! here, here! - It is the beating of his hideous heart!"\par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 \par
}{\plain \fs22 \f1\fs22 ~~~ End of Text ~~~\par
}}